Missouri

Missouri is one of the fifty states of the United States, located in the Midwest - its capital is Jefferson City, while its largest city is St. Louis. Missouri was settled by the Kingdom of France as a part of the Louisiana Territory, and in 1803 it was purchased by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson, for whom the capital is named. On 10 August 1821, it became the 24th state, and its location on the frontier made it the starting point for the Santa Fe Trail, Oregon Trail, and Pony Express; today, it is an agricultural state. In 2015, the state had a population of 6,083,672, with 81% being whites, 3% Hispanics, 11.7% African-Americans, .5% Native Americans, 1.7% Asians, .1% Pacific Islanders, 1.9% multiracial, and .1% other races. 27.4% of Missourians are descended from Germans, 14.8% from Irish, 10.2% English, 3.7% French, and 8.5% simply identifying as "American" (mostly English).